Stronghammer's Daughter
by Starrynight77
Summary: INHERITANCE SPOILERS! Twelve years after Eragon left Alagaesia, his niece Ismira discovers that something believed to be dead is very much alive...
1. Hide and Seek

_I am Ismira Katrinasdaughter, Rider of the dragon Kailar. I suppose this is some sort of diary, which I plan to send to my friend Jeod. At the moment I'm writing this on some blank sheet of parchment with my spare quill, at the bottom of a non-climbable crevice, seated by my unconscious amber dragon. It's a long story, but I'll document it as accurately as I can._

"Ismira!" my father called. "Where are you?"

I remained motionless, balancing among the tree branches only a few feet above his head.

"Ismira, we are leaving for Illirea in less than half an hour, we need to prepare. Your mother and the twins are ready to go, and you are playing hide and seek!"

I rolled my eyes, but jumped out of the tree to land in front of him.

"Good morning, father" I said, only slightly mocking his ability, or rather lack of ability, to find his own daughter. My father, Roran Stronghammer, glared at me. It would have been quite impressive, a six-and-a-half foot man scowling at me, eyes flashing, fists clenched, if I didn't know he would never hurt me. Lord Barst wasn't so lucky. You don't know who Lord Barst is? Be glad that he's dead, killed my father's hands.

"You, young lady, are in trouble" he growled, picking me up like a five year old and placing me on his shoulders. What can I say? I'm light for twelve. He walked with me towards our village, Carvahall, where my mother, Katrina, and the seven year old twins, Carn and Lachlan were running out from our house. In the shadow between our house and the next, I saw my best friend, Hope, a slender girl with magic powers, raise a hand in greeting. I felt her mind reach out to me.

_In trouble again, Ismira? _she asked.

I showed her my memories of when father had told us we were going to Illirea.

FLASHBACK

_It was dinnertime and the five of us were gulping down Mother's delicious chicken broth when father cleared his throat._

"_Carn, Lachlan, Ismira, Katrina, I have an announcement to make. I have been in contact with Queen Nasuada and she has suggested that we visit her. She has Queen Arya of the Elves staying with her for a month, along with four eggs, and Queen Nasuada and Queen Arya both agree that there is a possibility that one of the eggs could hatch for any one of us. Of course, it is extremely unlikely that this will happen but she has sent a fairth of the eggs."_

_Father held up a thin slab of granite which depicted four eggs, of various sizes. The largest was red with gold streaks across its surface. Queen Nasuada was standing beside it, and it reached her waist. The two smallest eggs were nestled in Nasuada's arms. One was an intense violet and the other was a chocolaty brown. The final egg was amber, of middling size, veined with silver. Somehow, I felt drawn to this hatchling, if any did hatch for me, I wanted it to be this one._

"_Queen Arya's dragon Fírnen will pick us up in two days" Father added._

END OF FLASHBACK

I caught a glimpse of Hope's expression, yearning and slight anger.

_C-can I come?_ she asked. I mentally shrugged.

_Ask Horst and Father, and probably Fírnen too._

Hope stepped out of the shadows and respectfully approached my father.

"Stronghammer?" she asked timidly. "May I join you on the flight? I am light and will not tax you with questions."

Father smiled. "That is the choice of Horst and Fírnen, but if they agree there is no reason for you not to."

Hope nodded, before disappearing into the shadows.


	2. Flying

_Sheet Two of my story. Kailar slumbers on._

It was time to depart. Fírnen, a giant green dragon with amber eyes (the same colour as mine!), was standing patiently in the middle of the village. Hope was saying farewell to her family. I was seated on Fírnen's back, as my parents coaxed and threatened Carn and Lachlan on behind me.

"Carn, if you get on the green dragon you get to meet Queen Nasuada and Queen Arya. Argetlam Lucas Karlsson might be there too!" my mother pleaded. Carn crossed his arms, shaking his head. It made his carefully brushed down red hair puff up and stick out everywhere. However Lachlan started hopping on the spot.

"Will Argetlam Lucas really be there?" he squealed excitedly. "Carn, I want to go!"

Carn rolled his eyes, but climbed on behind me. Lachlan followed him. Fírnen reached out his mind to greet us.

_Greetings, little humans. I am Fírnen Greenscales. Dragon of Arya._

_I am Ismira, daughter of Katrina, and these are my brothers, Carn and Lachlan _I said._ Our greetings also._

_You can mind-speak at such a young age, Ismira? _he said, slightly intrigued.

_You call me young, but I am the same age as you. To answer your question, my friend Hope Elainsdaughter can use magic to mind-speak, and I learnt from her._

_Ah yes, the girl healed by Eragon Shadeslayer, my mate's Rider. He must have touched her mind and given her this power._

"Fírnen Greenscales, we are all mounted and ready" my mother called. Fírnen nodded, stretched his wings and took off. I gasped.

Flying. It's the most amazing sensation in Alagaesia.

_You like it? _Fírnen chuckled mentally. I nodded, forgetting he couldn't see me.

_Yes _I replied.

_Do you want to see through my eyes?_ he asked. I shifted uncomfortably.

_Would it be right? Since I'm not your Rider..._I trailed off.

_You don't have to... _he backtracked. I closed off my mind, concentrating on Hope. She was seated right by Fírnen's tail, so I couldn't talk to her easily.

But her mind was shielded, so I gave up communicating and went into what I called my "time-passing" state. I thought of nothing at all, blocked off all my senses and drifted into a sort of meditation.

Hours drifted by, like mildly irritating flies. I ignored their passing, instead focusing on keeping my mind as blank as new parchment. Eventually, I became vaguely aware of someone calling my name. Hope.

"Ismira, we've arrived!"

I opened my eyes to see my friend smiling at me. I returned her expression before looking around.

It was sunset. Tall stone buildings surrounded a courtyard with a clear water fountain in the centre.

_Illirea,_ Fírnen projected his words to all of us. _My home._


	3. Of Carvahallians and Queens

_Sheet Three. Kailar should have woken by now..._

I was standing outside the throne room, between Lachlan and Hope, holding my breath.

_This is really it._

The doors creaked open. A human soldier glanced around the door and nodded at us.

"Queen Nasuada will receive you now" he commanded, pulling the double doors open. "Follow me."

He marched swiftly down the carpet, before saluting to the dark-skinned woman seated on a slender gold and purple chair, snapping his heels together for emphasis.

"Your Majesty, may I present Roran Stronghammer, his wife Katrina, their twin sons Carn and Lachlan, their daughter Ismira and Ismira's friend Hope Elainsdaughter."

She inclined her head. "Thank you Terence. You may go. Greetings Roran, Katrina! It has been long since I have seen you."

Mother smiled. "Twelve years, your majesty, I believe."

"Please call me Nasuada. Speaking of queen's names...Arya! The Carvahallians have arrived!"

A dark haired elf woman bearing a silver circlet on her head entered through a side door. It was Queen Arya of the Elves, Fírnen's Rider.

"Atra esterní ono thelduin, Arya Dröttning" I bowed slightly. She looked astonished, but continued the greeting.

"Mor'ranr lífa unin hjarta onr, Ismira Katrinasdaughter. How do you know the elven greeting?"

"Un du evarínya ono varda. My Uncle Eragon taught Hope and I the basics of the ancient language."

She nodded, still a bit amazed. "Would you and your family like to see the eggs? To update you on recent events, the chocolate brown egg is showing signs of cracking and we think it has chosen Nasuada. However, we are not certain."

Roran interrupted. "Am I right in thinking this could lead to another war? If the people of the Empire dislike having another Dragon Rider on the throne, Queen Nasuada could be forced to abdicate."

Arya bowed her head. "Alas, you are right, Stronghammer."

"Does she have an heir?" Katrina asked. Arya shook her head.

"Nasuada will not agree to any match we suggest."

Nasuada stood up and joined the discussion. "Arya, the eggs. Tocca. We are not here to discuss who I should marry."

Hope looked puzzled. "Who is Tocca?"

Nasuada smiled. "The dragon hatchling. I named her, for I was the only one near when she hatched."

"Can we see the eggs?" Lachlan pleaded. Carn nodded in agreement. Katrina sighed, hiding a smile, before grabbing their hands. Arya lead us out through a side entrance, the same one she had entered through, to a warm, homely room that I recognised from the fairth. In the centre of the room was a nest. A dragon nest.

"Awwwwwww!" exclaimed Hope running over to the nest and picking up the brown dragon hatchling. "Sweet!"

She circled the nest touching each of the three remaining eggs. She settled on the violet one, picking it up tenderly. Then Mother gasped.

"I can see a fracture line on the violet egg! It's hatching!"

All our eyes flew to Hope, who froze. Slowly, she focused on the cracks appearing before her eyes. "Me?" she said so quietly it was a whisper. "_Me?_"

Nasuada strode across the room to her. "You" she said, wrapping an arm around her. She guided my quivering best friend to a large, comfy, padded seat. The brown dragon followed them over, and so did I. To tell the truth, I was feeling slightly left out. Maybe that was why I picked up the amber egg, my favourite out of all of them, and sat on the other side of Hope from Nasuada. Maybe that's why I opened my mind and examined its thoughts.

_Another egg is hatching beside me._

_Someone is holding me._

_The someone holding me is my Rider-to-be._

_I'm going to hatch, finally._

_ .Word. I'm a Rider._

No, wait. That last thought was mine. The amber egg was going to hatch. For me.

"The amber egg...hatching...for me...Hope, check..." I stuttered. Hope stopped shaking and concentrated.

"She's right. The violet egg is hatching for me, and the amber egg is hatching for Ismira."

Then the darkness descended and I blacked out.


	4. Kailar's Name

**A/N: I keep forgetting the disclaimer! This is it for the whole story: The Inheritance Cycle and all its characters belong to Christopher Paolini. Carn, Lachlan, Tocca (Nasuada's dragon), and Hope and Ismira's dragons are all mine. So are most of the fellow Riders and the main enemy is half mine.**

**I am going on holiday today for a week, so there will be no updates, sorry.**

* * *

_Sheet Four. Jeod, if you read this, how long is a sleeping potion meant to last on a young dragon?_

I woke up in a cold, dark room, lying on a stone bed.

"Sorry about the comfort" called a female voice. It was Queen Nasuada, sitting on a chair beside me.

"You're in the Hall of the Soothsayer" she explained. "It's right next to the dragon egg room, so we decided to put you here. You've been out about half an hour."

I nodded, frantically scanning the room for the amber dragon without even realising I was doing it. I caught myself and stopped.

"The Amber Dragon? Where is he?" I questioned. Nasuada sighed, a single tear glinting in the corner of her eye.

"You know, you're so lucky. You get to touch your dragon. I can never touch Tocca because then I will have the Gedwëy ignasia, and I have to abdicate. We cannot have another tyrant Rider on the throne. And I can't resign without an heir."

"Adoption?" I wondered out loud. Nasuada looked thoughtful.

"Maybe...I'll think about it. As for the amber dragon, just go through the door. Hope and Vio-her dragon are there."

I needed no more confirmation. I ran out into the room I had been in before I fainted. Hope was there, feeding a small purple dragon. But my eyes immediately went to the sleeping amber hatchling in the Dragon Nest. Slowly, I reach out my right hand and press it to the hatchling's scales. A sensation like freezing water burned from my fingertips to my wrist. I felt like my whole hand had been frozen. Then, as suddenly as the sensation had started, it disappeared completely. But with the sensation had formed my gedwëy ignasia, a rounded silvery scar.

_What is your name? _I asked my dragon.

_I have none, _it replied in a light musical tone.

_I am a he_, he complained. I smiled.

_Of course. Do you mind if I name you after an imaginary friend I had when I was little?_

_What was he called?_

_Kailar._

_Kailar, dragon of Ismira and Violetta, dragon of Hope._

_Violetta? _ I asked the newly named hatchling. He gave a mental shrug.

_Hope-Violetta's-rider thought of it._

I left it at that, but Hope suddenly decided it was bedtime. Admittedly, I was feeling really tired, so I complied and dawdled up the stairs.

I lay back on my bed later that night, Kailar curled up beside me.

_Do you regret hatching for me, Kai?_

_No._

I fell asleep, reassured. But that was the first night I had the dream.


End file.
